


Running in Circles

by lifeisgay



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Sports, American Football, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Modern AU, Porn With Plot, Praise Kink, Service Top Adora (She-Ra), Smut, idiots to lovers, quarterback!Adora, track star!Catra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:15:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29886495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifeisgay/pseuds/lifeisgay
Summary: For Catra, there is no glory in running hurdles. Lap after lap and hurdle after hurdle, Catra has to remind herself why she even runs in the first place.She runs towin.Definitely not to impress anyone in particular or whatever.--An AU where Adora is an oblivious himbo and Catra thirsts over her former track teammate, now quarterback and ex-best friend.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 206





	Running in Circles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SapphicTrashFire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicTrashFire/gifts).



> small cw for mentions of blood. it's brief and not part of the sex. 
> 
> anyway welcome to the idiotic jocks universe i hope you enjoy your stay!

**Freshman year - Etheria University**

At six A.M. Monday morning, Adora’s former teammate runs laps on the track around Etheria University’s football field. Only a couple of years ago, they used to run this route together every morning at sunrise, race up the hill to the school’s baseball diamond, and immediately collapse onto the grass, panting and wheezing exhausted breaths.

Now, things couldn’t be more different.

“Blondie!” Huntara yells from across the field, snapping Adora from her daze. Adora’s fingers curl around the leather grip of the football in her hand. “Over here.”

This is Adora’s new javelin. Other students didn’t start calling her “She-Cannon” for nothing. All Adora has to do is focus, make good decisions, and throw the ball on target. It should be easy in theory but quite literally in practice, it’s proving to be a challenge.

“Sorry Coach, I’ll focus next time,” Adora says, and even though she means it, she wishes she could be more sure of her words. She tries to make eye contact with Huntara, but her gaze follows her former track teammate running around the field.

“Fucking hell, how many times do I have to tell you?” Huntara begins, resting a hand on Adora’s left shoulder pad, gripping and shaking her lightly. “This is what you were made to do. You’re our star quarterback, so act like it.”    


“Right. Got it, Coach.”

“Back on the field. Focus this time, kid.”

Huntara motions for Adora to rejoin the drill, and Adora runs back into her position.

If Adora is a star on the field then Catra must be a planet orbiting her on its destined track, doomed to stay at a distance, forever untouchable. 

Because Catra doesn’t want to be close to her anymore.

\--

What’s worse than Catra running laps around the field is when her former teammate no longer shows up at her usual running time. Monday mornings become colder, the bite of winter breaching into October. 

Maybe Catra quit running track entirely, or worse, maybe she hates Adora so much, she changed her entire routine just to avoid her. 

Adora rubs her hands together to warm them before she takes hold of another football, throwing snaps at Scorpia who waits at the 40-yard line.

Even if Catra ignored her the times she had been running laps around the field, Adora found herself missing the once-a-week period she’d even get to  _ see  _ Catra. It’s not a mystery why she’s been struggling to focus during practice.

She misses the friend she always had by her side.

* * *

Monday mornings are Catra’s guiltiest habit by far, and nothing about them is sustainable. She feels like a hopeless moth drawn to a bright flame, sure to be burned if she gets too close. 

Besides, it’s best for Adora if Catra stays at a distance. Even if it’s insane how much Catra wants Adora to tackle her onto the field, feeling Adora’s body press against hers. The buff idiot has no idea what she looks like in shoulder pads and eye black... It’s a sight that makes Catra weak in the knees, but she has to allow herself  _ once a week  _ to give in and see Adora. 

Except Catra can see that she’s only hurting Adora by coming out to the field at all.

Adora misses passes when Catra is on the track. She’s unfocused, distracted. 

So she doesn’t let herself see Adora anymore aside from a small window of time where she can be certain to keep her distance. At least when she’s running laps it feels like she’s chasing after something meaningful. 

But it’s just running. Catra sprints faster, like she could somehow outrun the memories that haunt her.

_ Adora is a gifted javelinist. She is a valuable asset to the program, and I will not allow you to distract her with laps, hurdles, and other nonsense. _

Catra engages in full-sprint mode, but she finds a moment to stare at her former teammate when she knows Adora’s eyes should be locked onto the other players, busy with one of her drills. Her human eyesight has always been weak anyway. She probably can’t even tell how much Catra gawks at her from this distance. 

_ You will keep your distance from Adora. You are a threat to her potential, and I will not have you bring her down with you. Have I made myself clear? _

That’s all it’s ever been for Adora. She threw javelin in high school for praise and glory and when she decided that wasn’t enough for her, she moved onto something different senior year, leaving everything else behind just to become Etheria High’s first string quarterback.

Of course, someone had to take the blame for Adora’s departure from the track team. 

_ What, Coach? Are you mad that you don’t get to take credit for Adora’s talent anymore? Want all that glory for yourself, don’t you? _

_ Silence. Your insolence will not bring her back. _

Catra bares her teeth, hot breath seething while she keeps her pace. She can blame the cool wind for the tears welling in her eyes. Despite the heavy memories weighing on her chest, she feels like she’s flying around the track, unstoppable.

For Catra, there is no glory in running hurdles. Lap after lap and hurdle after hurdle, Catra has to remind herself why she even runs in the first place.

She runs to  _ win.  _

Definitely not to impress anyone in particular or whatever.

* * *

**Junior Year - Etheria High**

“That was incredible _ ,  _ Catra!” Adora yells at the top of her lungs, running toward her.

Catra pants a few dizzy breaths, and the grip of Adora’s hand on her shoulder stabilizes her, preventing her from keeling over.

As much as hurdles suck sometimes, fuck, it feels so good to win. The exhilaration from winning a race makes all of the suffering slightly worth it, because it’s fucking hard to run hurdles. It’s not nearly as glamorous as hucking javelins, and the knee pain is irritating at best, crippling at worst. But there has to be _ some  _ reason she’s doing this.

“Seriously, no one else stood a chance against you. I wasn’t worried for a second,” Adora adds, beginning to peel a tangerine. 

_ Oh yes.  _ Catra runs like the wind because she’s addicted to praise, and Adora has been feeding into it for years. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t worried either.” Catra smirks, hands pressing on her knees, bent over for support. Her chest feels tight but she can manage through it. She always does.

“Do you need your inhaler?” Adora asks, always concerned after one of Catra’s races. “You pushed yourself hard today.”

“Just need a minute.” Catra takes a few slow breaths, each deeper than the previous, and she nibbles a piece of tangerine slice Adora hands her just as the adrenaline crash begins to set in. 

“I’ll be right here,” Adora says. Her eyes are observant, careful. 

Battling hurdles can be thrilling in the moment, but there’s always the aftermath of an adrenaline crash and the wear on her knees. At least Catra has one friend who will always look after her when she has thrown herself into the fire. There is always someone who will pull her out of the flames when it’s over.

Adora takes Catra’s hand in hers, and they walk to their spot by the campus gardens, host to an extremely well-kept collection of plants.

In late spring, the garden always smells of lavender and wild rose. Sometimes the scent is overbearing, but today, it hits right. They sit on the first bench, creaky from years of weathering.

Catra always prefers being here with just Adora after a meet rather than hanging by the track with the rest of the team. There’s no flurry of noise. It’s peaceful. She can eat her tangerine and crack jokes with her best friend. What else could she want?

Better than that, Coach Weaver can’t bother Adora about javelin throwing or criticize Catra about her hurdling form when they leave the meet so quickly. 

She feels safe here.

“I don’t ever want this to change,” Catra says. Here, they can just be. Even if Adora doesn’t want her the same way, Catra wouldn’t trade her friendship with Adora for anything. 

“Nothing has to change,” Adora says with a smile and wraps an arm around Catra. She always smells so good, like salt and pine trees. “Just because I’m joining the football team next year doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.”

“Do you promise?” Amidst the chaos in her home life and sports, Catra needs to feel secure in something that she has left.

“I promise. I’ll always be here for you.” 

Catra can’t stifle the purr that rises from within her as she sinks into Adora’s chest, a wave of relief washing over her.

\--

Determined to defeat her best friend, Catra races up the final hill. In long distance, Adora usually has an edge over her but up the short, steep hill, Catra pushes as hard as she can to reach the finish line before Adora. When her foot meets the edge of grass she collapses in victorious bliss. 

Moments later, the crunch of gravel ceases, and Adora groans loudly, falling down into the grass beside her. 

“You cheated,” she huffs, her chest rising and falling.

Catra rolls her eyes. “Did I?”

“My shoelaces  _ were  _ tied.” She sounds shocked, truly.

“Last time I checked, you being a fucking moron doesn’t mean I cheated during our race.”

“Ugh, you’re such an ass.” Adora shoves her lightly on the shoulder.   
  
“I don’t know why you’re so upset. You know I would have won anyway.” 

Adora reaches to nudge her again when Catra takes hold of Adora’s wrist and wrestles back with her. Somehow she ends up on top of Adora, straddling her waist while they wrestle each other.

“Guess you’re not as strong as you look after all,” Catra goads her on. Adora smiles from beneath her, one eyebrow cocked.

“What a shame,” Adora sighs and takes hold of Catra at her hips, reversing their positions in a swift, fluid motion. When Catra tries to wrestle back with Adora, she realizes her wrists are held firmly against the ground beside her head.

Turns out being pinned to the ground by the girl she’s been crushing on for over a decade is devastatingly hot, and the heat Catra feels between her legs is immediate. Her heart pounds harder now than it did a few minutes ago when she was racing up the hill.

“Hey Catra, how’s the view from down there?” Adora murmurs.

The view is hot. Hot as fuck, actually. 

Catra gulps.

Any shred of victory she earned from crushing the race has just been torn from her, the way Adora grins down at her, self-assured but still warm and genuine.

Her eyes fall to Adora’s lips, which wait slightly parted, dangerously alluring. Catra blinks slowly, hesitant to speak up, but she simply  _ wants _ . She isn’t sure if it’s selfishness or self-destruction that comes over her, but for once in her life, she doesn’t hold back.

“I really want to kiss someone right now,” Catra blurts. She almost immediately regrets saying it, watching Adora chew on her lip like the thought had never occurred to her before. Not a good sign.

“That’s cool I guess.”

Catra’s stomach drops. That’s... _ cool? _

Oh god, what the fuck has she done?

Adora stares back at her, completely unfazed, releasing her grip on Catra’s wrists. All of that contemplation and seemingly nothing came from it. Catra doesn’t know what she expected.

“Are you like…fucking with me or something?”

Adora lets out a tense laugh. “No, I’m not. I’m just...I’m kind of confused.”

_ Confused? _ There’s literally no one else around.

“Ugh, never mind,” Catra groans. It’s hard to enjoy the weight of Adora straddling her when she’s dying on the inside.

“Well, now I’m curious what you meant!”    
  
Oh great. So  _ now  _ the idiot starts thinking. 

“I just meant…” Catra takes in a deep breath.  _ I wanted to kiss  _ you,  _ dumbass.  _ At this rate, she’s going to have to throw her own funeral. “Would it be weird if I kissed you right now?”

“Oh,” Adora says plainly, and Catra can feel her heart sinking already. “I would kiss you.”   
  
“What?” Still wary, Catra searches Adora’s face, because it feels too good to be true. “You actually would?”

“Yeah, I mean… you’re my best friend, and I think you’re really beautiful,” Adora says with a casual shrug, like she has no idea the effect that her words have.

Catra can feel her blush blooming down to her neck, and she watches as Adora leans closer and kisses her.

The kiss is clumsy at first when Catra surges eagerly toward Adora’s lips. But it doesn’t matter at all, because Adora feels so good pressed against her, warm and electric. Catra’s hands walk up Adora’s back, and Adora leans into it. Catra would have Adora like this as long as Adora is willing to kiss her back. 

And then it’s over.

Adora pulls away, leaning her head up from the kiss. She wrinkles her eyebrows.

“Are you okay?” she asks, because Catra must have the dumbest, gayest look on her face right now.

“I—I’m fine.” She wants to ask for more, but she can’t let herself get too greedy. This was just a blip. A write off.

“You sure?” Adora rolls off her, lying on her side. She faces Catra with her head turned, blue eyes full of warmth as they stare back at her. 

“Yeah, this was just... it didn’t mean anything to me. I hope you know that.” Catra doesn’t believe a word of what she’s telling Adora, but she can only hope Adora buys it. 

“Oh, whatever you think.” Adora smiles sheepishly, and her nonchalance cuts like a knife, as if Catra needed any more indication of Adora’s feelings toward her.

Fuck, she shouldn’t have done that. In the moment, it felt so right, and now she just feels like an empty shell. Maybe on some level, she hoped she would find some resolution. That Adora would simply reject her and she could finally move on.

This is so much worse.

**Senior year - Etheria High**

Fair weather should make for good racing conditions. Catra jogs in place, getting her heart pumping while she waits to start the first 100m hurdles race of the season. She scans the bleachers one more time, and Adora still isn’t here yet.

She has been late before. It shouldn’t bother Catra as much as it does. 

Once Catra’s name is called, she jogs to her position by the starting blocks. One of her competitors today, DT, is ranked thirteenth in the state for the 100m hurdles. Catra is normally sure of her abilities but versus a ranked runner, uneasiness sets in. She scans the bleachers for Adora again, hoping for some kind of reassurance.

Still not here.

“On your marks.”

Catra places her feet in the starting blocks, braced forward. As long as she gets off to a good start, she has a chance of defeating the ranked player, along with the rest of the competitors. 

“Set.”

Catra takes in a deep breath, braced to pounce as soon as the gun is fired.

_ Boom. _

The pistol fires, and Catra lurches forward, flying like the wind. She has ten hurdles to clear and there is no room for error with competition this tough. She clears the first few hurdles with ease, tunnel vision setting in. 

Five steps, left leg jump. Five steps, left leg jump. Five steps—she leans her chest forward for the final few steps.

And the race is over. She turns her head to the left, and DT has cleared the finish line a split second after she did. The rest of the competitors pile in quickly.

“Photo finish caught you at thirteen point eleven seconds. Very impressive.” Catra doesn’t even look to see who said it, her head fuzzy and mind in a daze. Her heart pounds up to her head, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

She looks toward Coach Weaver who won’t even make eye contact with her, busy writing notes, no doubt to criticize Catra about her form during the team’s next practice. Maybe now that there isn’t a javelinist on the team, she would actually care that Catra is succeeding in hurdles. Except Weaver doesn’t seem to care at all, not when Catra wins at least. 

From her right, Lonnie waves Catra down, holding a brown paper bag in hand labeled _ for Catra  _ in scribbled ink _.  _ “This is for you. From Adora.”

Catra stares at the bag and back at Lonnie who waits for her to say something. Adora  _ knew  _ she wasn’t going to show up, and she didn’t even have the decency to tell her? 

“She promised she’d be here today.”   
  
Lonnie passes Catra the small bag. “Well, she wasn’t.” 

Catra opens the bag to find an already-peeled tangerine and her inhaler.

“Hey, if you want to come with us, Kyle and I are going to Rogelio’s party soon.” __

“Have fun without me. I’m gonna stick behind today,” Catra grumbles, folding her arms. She would rather mope in solitude than exist around other people right now.

“Alright, then. Just text me if you change your mind.”    
  
_ I won’t.  _

Lonnie walks off, and Catra sticks to her routine, what’s familiar to her even though it feels like her entire life has just been flipped around.

She strolls to the campus garden and takes a seat on the creaky wooden bench. In fall, the garden is normally more bearable for her senses at least.

Catra opens the crumpled brown bag and pulls out the peeled tangerine. She hates getting fruit peel stuck in her claws. Slowly, she takes small bites of the tangerine, bittersweet, not yet ripe this time of year. It’s still better than nothing if she wants to properly recover from the race.

She rarely needs her inhaler anymore, but Adora has always insisted on bringing it to every one of Catra’s races. Too bad she didn’t even bring herself this time. Stretching her legs out, Catra takes a moment to lie down on the bench. She shouldn’t be so bothered by Adora’s absence. 

Adora is allowed to have new things and new friends.

Catra had never thought Adora would be the type to leave her old friends behind, but she should have seen it coming, the way Adora dropped javelin in a heartbeat as soon as she got the offer to join EHS’s football team. If that was so easy for her, maybe she’d be the type to drop Catra too.

* * *

The locker room bustles with athletes after another grueling practice on the field. With playoff season approaching, the stakes have been raised, and Adora has been working harder to lead by example.

While Adora strips from her jersey and shoulder pads, one of the wide receivers approaches her. “Are you coming to the Fright Zone tonight? The whole team is gonna be there.” 

“I’m sorry, Mermista. It’s Catra’s birthday. I promised I’d hang out with her tonight.” She sits on the bench and takes a glug of water.   
  
“Well, Coach said anyone who doesn’t go is like super lame and bad for the team.” Mermista crosses her arms. She somehow always manages to look disappointed, regardless of what is coming out of her mouth.

“Oh,” Adora sighs, pausing before she hangs up her helmet. “I don’t want to be bad for the team.”   
  
“Yeah, there’s kind of like.. a lot of people counting on the She-Cannon to be there tonight. Tell your friend to reschedule her birthday or something.”

Adora scratches the back of her head. “Uh… I don’t think she can just do that.”

“Whatever,” she groans and rolls her eyes. “It’s your call. Just wanted to let you know.”

“Thanks,” Adora barely whispers, but Mermista has already walked away, out of earshot. 

* * *

Catra throws her physics textbook into her locker, not bothering to fix it when it falls over, scrunching pages under its own weight. 

Loud footsteps rush from her side, and Catra freezes for a moment before she realizes who has snuck up on her.

“Catra,” Adora huffs, out of breath.

Fucking great. 

“Leave me the fuck alone.” She slams her locker shut, walking away, but the idiot follows her at her heels.   
  
“Well, you wouldn’t respond to my texts. I didn’t know how else to talk to you.” Adora’s voice wavers, but Catra maintains her calloused exterior. She won’t go soft just because Adora is showing weakness.

“Have you considered that maybe I don’t want to talk to you?” She turns sharply left out of the hallway toward the parking lot. 

“I’m sorry I missed your birthday. The team was heading to the Fright Zone that night, and we have a big game coming up on Saturday. They needed me. I didn’t have a choice.” 

Catra halts in her tracks. “Ugh, seriously? Of course you had a choice, asshole.”   
  
“I… Catra. It’s not that simple.” Adora places a hand on her shoulder, and Catra bats her hand away, turning around to face her.   


Adora’s eyes are swollen, watering with fresh tears. 

Clenching her jaw, Catra internally vows to maintain her resolve. “Clearly something else was more important to you. And now I’m done talking to you.”

“Please, I just want to make you feel better,” she says, voice feeble.

“Make me feel better?” Catra scoffs, shaking her head. “Since when do you care about that? You just want to make yourself feel better for being a shitty friend.”   
  
“I—I’m sorry. I had to be there for the team.”

“Yeah, I know. Of course, you always have to put that first.” Frustration simmers in her chest, and Catra feels her claws edging out. Arms folded across her chest, the claws on Catra’s right hand dig into her own flesh, distracting and numbing from the painful conversation. 

“You understand, right?” Adora’s worried eyes linger on her grip. “Your arm…”

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Catra growls, and one of Adora’s hands latches onto her wrist.

“Catra, you need to  _ stop,”  _ she urges, tightening her hold.

Reflexively, Catra rips her hand from Adora’s grasp, and she reacts the only way she knows how, by lashing out. Claws extended, she scratches the edge of Adora’s cheek where it meets her jawline. 

Three hooked cuts darken crimson, and blood spills from the fresh wound on Adora’s face.

Frozen, Adora stares at Catra, her jaw agape. She reaches to touch her own face and observes the blood on her fingers when she pulls her hand away.

_ Just say sorry. You didn’t mean to hurt her. _

“Fuck off. We aren’t friends anymore,” Catra says instead, her lips betraying her heart. Adora might hurt now, but in the long run, it’s better for her this way.

“Oh.” A tear slips from Adora’s eye and runs down her cheek. “Is that…is that what you really want?”

“It is. See you never, Adora.” Catra runs toward the parking lot, and she doesn’t hear Adora’s footsteps chasing after her.

As soon as Catra cuts a corner, she hides behind a wall, shoving her face in her hands. She pulls her hand away to see Adora’s blood mingled with her own tears. 

All of Coach Weaver’s warnings of how she would hurt Adora came true.

She distracts her. Hurts her. It was only a matter of time before Catra spiraled and brought Adora down with her. 

At least she won’t have to worry about crossing that line anymore.

**\--**

**Freshman Year - Etheria University**

College football games are a fucking nightmare. 

Roaring crowds, unfamiliar faces, smells and sensations feed the storm growing in Catra’s stomach. She grits her teeth and reluctantly approaches the pink-haired drum major during a lull in the action, because she might be losing her mind.

Glimmer sees Catra approaching and smirks. “I see you’re back at another one of Adora’s games. What’s your excuse this time?”

“I just...I love football…” Catra winces, hearing that sentence spill from her own mouth. “And for the record I hate Adora and her stupid shoulder pads and stupid eye black.” Something between a growl and a purr rumbles from her chest.

“Very convincing. So your love of football brings you to _all_ of Adora’s games, then?”

“I don’t go to all of her—” Catra shuts herself up, because she can’t exactly lie to Etheria University’s drum major who has seen her at every game so far this season. She sighs. “You know we don’t even talk anymore.”

“So? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Yeah…I...I don’t know anymore. She’s always been so fucking frustrating like this. God, the  _ worst _ time of all, we were wrestling, and I told her I wanted to kiss someone. There was no one else around, and she just says ‘that’s cool I guess.’”

“Oh my god,” Glimmer snorts, and nearly drops her baton, choking back a laugh. “That actually makes so much sense.”

“Ugh.” Catra’s cheeks burn with annoyance. “I wanted to fucking kill her.”   
  
“Mhm. But you would have rather been kissing her.”

Catra grumbles to herself but doesn’t say anything, because she would rather not give that remark any credibility by responding to it.

But something in her chest softens. She relents. “Okay,  _ maybe _ I do want to kiss her again or ideally something more.” Her mind wanders again, and she snaps herself out of it. “Nothing with feelings though. She’s just really… _ really _ hot.” 

Glimmer chews on her lower lip. “You just have to be very straightforward with Adora. She doesn’t exactly pick up on hints. Believe me, I’ve tried many times with her.”   
  
“Well, if that didn’t get to her head, I don’t know what would. But I guess I could try.” Catra stares off into the game while Adora hucks a deep pass. “Also, back the fuck off,” she adds, a low growl edging into her tone. 

“Jealous much? I thought you hated her.” Glimmer smirks, and Catra sends her a fierce glare in return. “Don’t worry, I’ve totally moved on from that phase. I’m crushing on my other best friend now.”

Like he has a sixth sense, Bow waves at the two of them from atop the bleachers, beaming widely, holding a trombone in his opposite hand. Oblivious himbos must be Glimmer’s type. Not like Catra doesn’t understand the appeal.

“Listen, could you help me talk to her? I just… want to make sure she understands this time.”

“I mean Adora has been super fucking tense lately. She definitely needs to get laid.”   
  
Catra’s tail involuntarily twitches as her mind wanders. “So you’ll help me talk to her?”

"Fine, but if you hurt Adora, I’m going to come after you myself.” Glimmer threateningly raises a fist, and maybe the intimidation tactic would be more effective if she wasn’t five feet tall on a good day. 

Catra sighs. She has already hurt Adora in the past. Maybe she is foolish to think that she could have something like this, that there is even a small chance Adora would want her after what she has already done. That things could ever be different after she lashed out and hurt Adora. She doesn’t ever want to put Adora in that position again. 

“I don’t want to hurt her,” Catra mumbles. “Just… seeing her like this from far away all the time makes me miss being close to her. It makes me miss everything we used to have together or  _ whatever...”  _   
  
“Look at you, opening up for once.” Glimmer flashes her a smug grin. “I thought you just wanted to fuck her, huh?”

The sheer  _ nerve _ of this bisexual bitch. Unbelievable. 

“If you repeat any of that to Adora, I  _ will _ end you.”

“I won’t if you’re nice to me.” 

“Mhm. Good luck at half time, asshole.”

“Thank you! Although, I definitely won’t be needing it.” Glimmer reaches for her conducting baton, and Catra knows that’s her cue to leave before her hearing is blasted out by the EU fight song. 

* * *

Adora pries off her helmet. The rush of winning serves as immediate relief, and Adora feels lighter now that the pressure of the game is over. Sitting on the bench in the EU locker room, she pulls out her ponytail to fix it. 

“See you at the Fright Zone later?” a cornerback says, slinging their bag over their shoulder and heading out.

“Yeah, definitely.” Adora kicks off her cleats, changing to her sneakers.

When Adora exits the locker room, Glimmer is waiting for her in the hallway.

“Hey, congrats on the win today.” She smiles sheepishly. 

“Thanks, I’m just relieved after all of it, honestly,” Adora sighs, and a dull ache already creeps into her shoulders. 

Glimmer’s face stiffens for a moment. “Just wanted to give you a heads up, but Catra talked to me during the game.”   
  
“Catra was here?” She didn’t think Catra was even into football. That must be new.

“Actually, she’s _ still  _ here and wants to talk to you.”

“What?” Adora gasps, fiddling with the strap of her gym bag. “Why? Did she tell you why?”

“That’s her business to tell you,” Glimmer says and pauses, deciding what to say. “Although she did have an awfully interesting story to share…”

Adora laughs and rolls her eyes. “What? Was it the time Catra and I launched a javelin through the window of Coach Weaver’s Mercedes? I mean… I was the one who threw the javelin, obviously.” She sighs contentedly, reliving the glorious memory. “Good times… except for when like, Weaver made Catra run laps for two hours every day during practices that month…” 

“What the fuck?” Glimmer huffs, shaking her head. “No, just...what was going through your mind when Catra asked to kiss you?”

“Oh, that story!” Adora laughs sharply, but something unsettling bubbles in her stomach. “I just thought that everyone wants to kiss their best friends. You know, pretty normal best friend stuff.”

“That’s not…” Glimmer groans, shoving her face in her hands. “That’s not exactly true, Adora.”

Some of her teammates trickle out into the hallway, and Adora lowers her voice.   
  
“But you told me that you wanted to kiss Bow. And you even asked about kissing me that one time at Sea Hawk’s Slumber Party!”   
  
“Adora, you stupid fucking lesbian, how can you not see that Catra wants you?”

“What?” Adora searches Glimmer’s face for any trace of sarcasm, but Glimmer stares her down, face smoothed over in seriousness. “She doesn’t want me like that... She _ hates  _ me. I was a shitty friend to her.” 

“Maybe she hates you, or maybe she doesn’t.” Glimmer looks over Adora’s shoulder and back at her. “See for yourself.” She walks off and Adora turns her head to see her former teammate standing in the hallway, waiting for her.

* * *

Catra genuinely can’t believe that Glimmer agreed to help her.

She has only made it this far today, because at this juncture, she has nothing to lose and all of the muscular blonde jock in shoulder pads and football pants to gain. She would certainly go insane if she had to sit through another football game, ogling her former best friend like that. 

“Hey, Adora,” Catra breathes, voice shaky despite her attempts to quell her nerves.

“Catra?” Adora says, her face lighting up. She grins widely, stepping closer. “You’re really here! I missed you so much.”

Fuck, why does Adora always do that? She always manages to fuel Catra with hope right before she ditches her again. As soon as Catra lets down her walls, Adora will step on her heart again without even realizing it.

“I just want closure about us,” Catra says, diverting from her original plan. She needs to protect herself first.

“So that’s why you’re here.” Adora sighs, her face scrunching up. “What kind of closure?”

“I want to know why you left… and kept leaving.  _ Tell me,”  _ she requests, not sure of what she wants Adora to say. Apologize? Make excuses? Maybe then, she could finally let go of this lingering crush.

“Is that how you really felt? Like I was leaving you behind?” Adora asks, and somehow that’s the worst result. If Adora had simply made another excuse Catra could simply blow her off. It’s what Adora would have deserved.

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter what I felt. It was stupid of me to even come here,” Catra turns around when she feels a firm grip take hold of her shoulder.

“Wait, don’t go! We could…uh…what if we raced? Like we used to do.”   
  
Catra’s ears perk up, and she turns around to face her former track teammate. “What do you mean race? Like… you want to run a race right now?”   
  
“Yeah.” Adora drops her bag in the hallway and rubs her hands together. “And if I win, you agree to be my friend again.”   
  
“Adora, that’s not how friendship works. Also, aren’t you fucking exhausted?”   
  
“I’ll be fine,” she says quietly. “So you don’t want to race then?”   
  
“No uh... it’s fine, I’ll race you, and  _ when _ I win, this is all over.” Catra swallows and shuts her eyes, trying to imagine what it would like to finally be free of her attachments. “Then you can finally get out of my fucking head.” 

“Deal,” Adora says quickly. She’s always jumpy somehow, even after a grueling game into overtime.

“To the baseball diamond? It’s about a mile from here.”

“Perfect.”

\--

Catra runs like she has never run before, because this time she’s being chased by the most terrifying thing in the world. Their usual route is dark at this time of the evening, not lit by the morning glow of their old schedule. 

Just as she passes the corner to run up the last hill, she turns her head around to spy Adora directly behind her.

Catra glances down at Adora’s shoes. “Your shoelace is untied.”   
  
“Oh no!” Adora slows her pace and looks at her feet. “Wait… hey, fuck you!” 

But it’s too late for Adora. Catra laughs, sharp and maniacal, clamoring up the hill for the final stretch. One she reaches the edge of the grass, she sprawls onto her back, basking in the glory of defeating Adora.

But for once, winning doesn’t feel so good. Not when Adora slumps over onto the grass face first next to her.

“I want a rematch,” she mumbles into the grass.

“Wow. You really think you deserve a rematch?”   
  
“Catra, I just played football for three hours. Let me try again.  _ Please.” _   
  
As annoyingly stubborn as Adora can be sometimes, she makes a fair point.

“Fine. Tomorrow morning at five so you don’t have to miss any football practice.” 

Body still splayed out on her stomach, Adora lifts her head from the grass. “I’ll be there.”

Catra stands up and brushes off her shorts, but Adora hasn’t moved an inch. “You good down there?” 

“Can you text Glimmer? I think I need a ride home.” Maybe racing after her football game wasn’t the brightest idea Adora has ever had, but her determination is oddly impressive.

“On it, dumbass.”   
  
Adora snorts and rolls over onto her back. “You know I’m gonna win tomorrow.”   
  
“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

\--

At five in the morning, Adora waits by the track, dressed in her old EHS shirt, cut short in a crop top. How do her abs look like that? Is she trying to murder every lesbian on campus?

Fuck. Okay.

Catra strolls up to her ex-teammate, still feeling groggy at this hour, but she came here to wipe the floor with Adora once and for all. She’s going to see her plan through.

“You ready?” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes.

“All warmed up and ready whenever you are,” Adora replies, smiling. She’s far too chipper for this time of day. Catra will have to crush any hope Adora has left. It should be easy enough.

“Good. Let’s do this.”

Adora gets off to a strong start, but that’s always her problem. She always pushes too hard too early and in the end, it always fucks her over. 

Catra maintains her pace, slowly increasing and eventually passing Adora just as she starts climbing the hill to the baseball diamond. 

“No!” Adora gasps when Catra overtakes her. Poor idiot is trying her best. It’s cute.

When Catra reaches the edge of the grass she lies down, smug in her victory. Adora lags a few moments behind and sits on the grass beside her. The idiot takes a fistful of grass and rips it from its roots.

“What did that grass ever do to you?” Catra teases, but Adora frowns, clearly not in the mood for jokes. She stares off into the field, her gaze distant. Catra has never known her to be this much of a sore loser.

“I want another rematch,” she announces after some time, her face stoic.

Catra lets out a curt, frankly insensitive laugh. “You really think next time will be any different?”

“I want to try again,” she insists, about as relentless as she is stupid.

“Fine, only because I like destroying you anyway.” That earns a meek smile from Adora.    
  
“Really?” And fuck, there are the feelings, because Adora is being eager again. 

“Yes, but this is your last chance. Don’t get your hopes up.” 

Adora just smiles at her. Catra will have to squash that for sure, and too bad Adora doesn’t realize that she doesn’t stand a chance against her.

* * *

Sure, Adora knows she has a disadvantage when it comes to racing Catra, but she has no choice if she wants to save her friendship.

So she arrives at the EU track at four-thirty to warm up before her race with Catra, because she needs every possible edge she can get, even if it means waking up in the unholy hours of the morning.

Everything would be so worth it just to win. When Catra arrives at five, her eyes widen, lingering on Adora’s exposed stomach.

“How many crop tops do you own?” she says, a hint of disgust in her tone.

“A few? I don’t know,” Adora chuckles, tightening her ponytail. Catra averts her eyes and positions herself at the starting line next to her.

“Let’s get this over with,” she grumbles, running a hand through tufts of her short-cut hair. 

Adora lunges forward in a sprint to start the race. She has to win even if it destroys her legs. Even if Catra is lagging behind her for now, Catra always manages to pass her when Adora least expects it. So she has to create the largest distance between them as possible and push all the way through until the end.

Adora turns her head over her shoulder to see Catra already closing the distance between them.

_ Fuck,  _ not already. She has to push harder. 

Except her legs are giving out, as much as she wills them to keep going. The hill is a difficult climb to close the race, and her heart is pounding, skin flush and dripping sweat as she musters every bit of strength and stamina she has left.

But Catra blows past her with ease at an impossible pace. Adora’s heart sinks. If she could ever win one game in her entire life, she wishes she could win this race.

Adora peers over the hill, and Catra is resting on the grass already. She is far too late.

Well, she might lie down next to Catra and be close to her for one last time. Besides, her legs feel like jelly, and she should get some rest before football practice later anyway.

“You won this time, I guess. But if you want to race again—”

“Wow,” Catra groans. “You seriously aren’t giving up?”

“Why would I?” Adora stretches out her legs and sighs. Maybe if Catra can agree to one more rematch, she could finally win.

“Because you’re never gonna beat me at my own game.”

“One of these days I’m going to win, and then we can be friends again.”   
  
“That’s what you’re hung up on?” Catra tilts her head, mismatched eyes searching Adora’s face. 

“Yeah, I really missed this, and I want it back.”

“You are...fucking ridiculous.” Catra rises from the grass, and Adora lurches up on her feet, ready to follow her. “Tomorrow, same time.” 

Adora’s heart skips a beat. 

“Yes!” she cheers. She will have another chance to win back her friend, and she will cling onto that small shred of hope for dear life.

“Moron,” Catra grumbles, walking down the hill.

* * *

Catra waits, lying on the grass for Adora to finish running up the hill. She didn’t intend to race Adora twenty-three times now, but her former best friend is even more stubborn than she gave her credit for.

“N-next time,” Adora sputters, worn and out of breath, crashing to the ground. “Next time I’m going to win for sure.”

“Sure you will, princess.”

“I will!” she yells, the same way she had insisted the previous twenty-two times. “And then we can be friends again.” Adora’s stubbornness, as annoying as it is, hits like a wrecking ball to the chest.

“That was never how this was going to work.”   
  
“Huh?” Adora’s smile droops, and she sits upright. “What do you mean?”

Catra leans forward, curling her knees to her chest. “Adora, you winning this stupid race isn’t going to make us friends again.” She stands up, contemplating running in order to escape the emotions that threaten to pour out of her.   
  
“But—but I thought you said—” Adora rises and paces toward her, braced like she’s ready to chase Catra if she decides to run away.   
  
“No,” Catra shuts her down. “It was never supposed to be like that, Adora.”

“Then how am I supposed to fix things?” Adora asks, eyebrows furrowed with concern. 

Her former teammate, former best friend who broke her heart waits for her next move. All Catra would have to do is close Adora off one last time, and maybe the other girl would finally understand what it feels like to endure a broken promise, to be shut out and left behind.

Maybe Adora would finally understand how much she hurt Catra if she felt the same pain herself.

But Catra sighs as the last remaining wall she built over the years crumbles to the ground. 

“Don’t you get it?” she rasps, and a single tear glides from her cheek. “All I ever wanted was for you to care about me in the same way that I cared about you. You showed me that you didn’t care enough to ever make time for me, and I started resenting all of the new things you had in your life, like they were taking you away from me.” She laughs, choked and pained. “That’s when I thought that it was just you picking what you wanted. And you didn’t pick me.”

When Adora slowly reaches for her face, Catra doesn’t flinch, actually letting Adora touch her. Adora wipes away a tear from her cheek. “I’m sorry, Catra. I never meant to make you feel left behind.”

“But now you’re being all frustrating, and it’s confusing me!” Catra snaps, her chest fiery hot. “Why can’t you just keep being an asshole and make this fucking easier for me?”

“I’m sorry that I was a bad friend. I want you back in my life. I really do.”

“No, that’s—it was stupid of me to think that I could ever have a place in your life. But it’s fine, because I only ever hurt you. Don’t let me bring you down with me.”

“But that’s not what I want,” Adora replies, voice soft. Her hand wanders to Catra’s hair, stroking lightly, soothing her. 

Catra relaxes into her touch, stepping forward to shove her face in Adora’s shoulder. A strong pair of arms wrap around her, holding her close.

“I want you,” Catra whispers, her speech muffled by Adora’s stupid crop top. “I want you so badly it hurts.”

Adora tenses for a moment then resumes rubbing her hand down Catra’s back. “Hey, that’s okay. I want you too.”

“No, you don’t understand, I mean...” Catra sobs weakly, pathetically into Adora’s shirt. At least the fabric can absorb her tears. “I’m saying that I love you, Adora. Some part of me has always felt this way about you.”

Catra pulls away from Adora’s hug, scanning Adora’s expression which shifts from shock to something much scarier. 

Bold and unashamed, Adora laughs directly in her face. Well fuck, Catra knew Adora could be an asshole, but she never expected quite to this extent. 

“Catra,” she snorts, laughing to the verge of tears. “I’ve been waking up four in the morning for nearly a month now just to see you, and you seriously think that I don’t love you?”   


Oh, well that’s news. 

“You love me?” Catra chokes out. “You can’t be ser—oh god, I’m such a fucking idiot.” Her face burns hot, and thankfully, Adora pulls her into another embrace, so she can hide the warm shade her cheeks have turned.

“Of course, I love you,” Adora repeats, and Catra tightens her hold, folding her fingers so her claws don’t dig into Adora’s back. “Can I kiss you again? And not just in a best-friends-who-kiss kind of way.” She angles her chin down, her gaze sincere.

“Best friends who do _ what  _ now?” Catra sighs, tension escaping her shoulders. This is all starting to make too much sense.

She smiles widely. “You know, like how Glimmer said she wanted to—”   
  
“Just kiss me already, dumbass.”

At least Adora doesn’t waste time, leaning down to kiss her. Catra takes in Adora’s lips, firm yet careful as they match pace with hers. One of Adora’s hands combs through her hair, pulling her in, and Catra sighs into the kiss, deepening it. 

This time feels so much different than the first time they kissed, cathartic, but it threatens to build up more inside of her.

Catra withdraws from Adora’s lips, so she can see the girl she’s been in love with for years smiling back at her. “Fuck, I love you so much,” she breathes, and Adora reaches for her hand, intertwining their fingers.

“I love you too,” Adora replies and plants a kiss on her forehead. Warmth spreads from Catra’s forehead where Adora’s lips press against her, spreading down to her neck and core. “I wish I could keep kissing you, but I have to be at practice soon.”

“Do you want to come to my place later?” Catra offers, and she doesn’t even care how desperate she sounds.

“I’d love that.” Adora smiles, soft and genuine. She squeezes Catra’s hand lightly. “I’ll come by right after practice.”

“Since you’re coming from practice…” Great segue. Adora will never know. “Would you mind wearing your uniform? With the shoulderpads... and the pants,” Very cool. Good thing she’s in love with a moron.

“What?” Adora cocks an eyebrow, glancing at her up and down. “Are you like, into that or something?”

So  _ now  _ Adora is conveniently no longer oblivious. “Uh… no—maybe.... Okay, yes. Very much, yes.”

Adora smirks and leans in closer, whispering into her ear, “I get it. The shoulder pads can give you some support if you want to sit on my face later.”

Catra’s brain short-circuits for a moment. “Fuck,” she sighs, reaching for Adora’s arm to have some part of Adora to cling to. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Sort of, yeah,” Adora says and shrugs. 

“If you don’t come by soon, I might die.” Catra doesn’t even feel like she’s exaggerating that much.

With one hand, Adora cups her face, and she leans in to kiss Catra on the cheek. “Don’t worry I won’t waste time after practice, y’know like changing out of my uniform or something like that.” She winks before heading in the other direction toward the football field. 

Catra sighs, watching Adora as she walks away. The view is incredible, even as Adora increases her distance. How did she ever get so lucky?

\--

Catra is actually going to spend time with Adora, not just watching her from afar at one of her games, where Adora would run around in her stupid shoulder pads and stupid football pants. 

Except Catra doesn’t have to lie to herself anymore. The shoulder pads and football pants… they have a lot of appeal, actually. 

Maybe she has spent too much time thinking about Adora pinning her down on the field the first time they kissed. She already knew she was hopelessly crushing on her best friend by that point, but nothing could have prepared her for a sexual awakening of that magnitude. 

Three raps at the door perk one of Catra’s ears. Her clock reads 9:45 A.M, fifteen minutes after Adora’s practice should have ended. Not that she has Adora’s practice schedule memorized to the minute. Definitely not...

Catra swings open the door to reveal Adora still dressed in her football uniform.

“I’m here,” Adora announces in a gasp, breathing heavily.

“Did you run all the way here? Geez.” Catra folds her arms, watching Adora who promptly seats herself on the floor, setting her gym bag down beside herself.

“Yeah, I just wanted to see you as soon as I could.”

Catra sighs and walks over to the kitchen to fill a glass of water. When she returns, Adora appears to have caught her breath, smiling and waiting for her. Catra sits down on the floor beside Adora and hands her the glass.

“That’s pretty fucking gay, Adora.”

Adora nearly chokes on her drink, but she raises an eyebrow. “I mean, you’re the one who wanted to see me in my uniform.”

“Yeah, because it makes you look strong. But you’re totally  _ not.” _ Catra doesn’t believe a word of what she’s saying, but she’s eager to rile Adora up if it gets her closer to what she wants. “I mean, I bet you couldn’t even pin me down properly.”

“Really?” Adora stands up from the floor, extending a hand down to her. “You don't think I could pin you down, huh?”

Catra curls her fingers around Adora’s forearm while Adora pulls her up, and it’s definitely bigger and stronger than she remembers from Adora’s track days. “I dare you to try.”

“Good,” Adora says, and Catra lets out a small squeak as Adora scoops her up and carries her to the bed.

\--

“You’re  _ letting _ me win!”

“I am  _ not— _ I’m not letting you win!” Adora stammers. She is quite possibly the worst liar ever.    
  
“Those biceps and I’m actually holding you down?” Catra cocks an eyebrow, and Adora’s cheeks flush red. “Show me how strong you are. Don’t let me win this time.”   
  
Given the new task at hand, Adora lasers on her with the same focus she has always shown back on the field. She takes Catra’s permission to heart, because in a split second, Catra is lifted in the air and flipped over. Adora is as gentle as she is swift when she sets Catra down on the bed. Sturdy hands find Catra’s wrists, pinning them down on either side of Catra’s head.

“Is this what you wanted?” Adora whispers, leaning closer, and her legs slip between Catra’s as she sinks lower, stretching out on top of her.

“Yes, I fucking want you.” Catra waits, eyeing Adora’s lips, heart pounding out of her chest. 

Inching lower, Adora meets Catra with a kiss, her lips gentle and warm. Her hands slacken their grip on Catra’s wrists, and one hand entangles with Catra’s hair while the other finds Catra’s waist, rubbing circles in place.

“I want to make you feel good,” Adora murmurs. She presses a wet kiss against the base of Catra’s neck and trails her kisses higher, nipping at the tender skin along the side of Catra’s neck.

“Adora,” Catra exhales, drawing her hands up Adora’s back, claws digging into her jersey. “You have no fucking idea how much I’ve thought about this exact situation.” She rolls her hips forward, seeking some sort of relief, but Adora pauses, giving her an odd look.

“You’ve thought about this a lot? Like how much? Was I wearing the uniform too?” Adora seems pleased with herself, a smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.

“Ugh,” Catra scoffs, but there’s no bite in her tone. “You  _ might _ have been wearing it when I was imagining sitting on your face this morning. I almost touched myself thinking about it.” Catra presses a kiss just beside Adora’s ear on her cheek. “But I decided to wait for you instead.” 

“I was thinking about it too.” Adora gulps and her mouth hangs open slightly. She draws a hand down Catra’s stomach, stopping at the waistband of her track shorts. “I really want to taste you.” 

“Please, I need you,” Catra sighs and tilts her head up to kiss Adora again. Adora hums into the kiss, trailing a hand up Catra’s shirt, stopping just below her breast. 

“Can I touch you here?” she asks, voice gentle. 

“Yes,” Catra replies, watching Adora’s face shift the moment she realizes Catra isn’t wearing a bra. 

“Fuck,” Adora whispers, squeezing and tracing her thumb over a nipple. “I love touching you.”

Catra has never had this much of Adora in her life, and somehow, the pit in her stomach aches with overwhelming need. “You’re driving me crazy,” she breathes, struggling to wrap her limbs around Adora, wanting to hold onto as much of her as possible. “I need you to fuck me, Adora.” 

Adora kisses her again, and her hands fall to Catra’s waist. She rolls over and reverses their positions so now Catra sits atop her instead. “So…” She chuckles nervously. “D’you still wanna like, sit on my face?” 

“Fuck yes, I do.”    
  
Adora’s hands run to the waistline of Catra’s track shorts and tug them down her thighs. She draws the palm of her hand over Catra’s now-exposed underwear, and Catra rolls her hips into Adora’s touch. “You’re turned on,” Adora observes, her voice low and smug. 

“Yeah, are you gonna do something about it or what?

“I  _ will _ ,” Adora insists, dragging down Catra’s underwear and tossing the piece of fabric across the bedroom. “Come a little closer.” Two hands reach around to hold onto her ass, supporting some of her weight. 

Catra inches forward, positioning her legs around the shoulder pads, feeling Adora’s breath so close to where she wants to be touched. Adora alternates between small bites and kisses as she makes her way up Catra’s thighs. Catra reaches for Adora’s hair, snipping Adora’s hair tie to lace her fingers through Adora’s hair.

Firm and deliberate, Adora strokes her tongue against Catra. 

“Adora,” Catra moans softly, tugging on Adora’s hair, thighs clenching around Adora’s shoulder pads. 

Adora presses a kiss against her and pulls away. “How does that feel?”

“More, I want more of you… please,” Catra begs shamelessly, her hips twitching. 

“You know, it’s really cute when you’re needy.” Adora flicks her tongue around, and it feels about as teasing as her words. She pulls Catra in by the back of her thighs, using broad strokes with her tongue against her clit.

As frustrating as Adora’s taunting can be, it’s equal parts hot.

“Just like that,” Catra whispers, carefully moving her hips to fuck herself against Adora’s mouth. “You feel fucking good.”

“Mmm.” Adora maintains her pace, and her hands tighten their grip on Catra’s thighs. When Catra lowers her gaze she sees Adora intently staring back at her.

“Fuck, Adora,” Catra groans. Adora’s tongue is steady and methodical as it works against her clit, bringing her closer to the edge already. “Keep going, please.”

Adora doesn’t slow down, and eventually Catra senses the crash. Adora works Catra through the waves, holding her in place so she doesn’t fall forward from the intensity of her orgasm. After a few seconds, Adora begins to ease off, relaxing her pace and her grip.

“That was fucking hot,” she whispers. She presses a wet kiss against Catra’s thighs.

Catra lowers herself to Adora’s lap, catching her breath. “God, I didn’t know how much I needed that until now.”

“I had some idea,” Adora counters with a cheeky grin. 

“Asshole,” Catra sighs but it doesn’t stop her from leaning in to kiss Adora, tasting herself on Adora’s lips. Her chest rumbles as Adora’s arms wrap around her. Adora pulls back from the kiss, starting to fumble with her uniform.

She throws her own jersey over her head and quickly wriggles out of her shoulder pads. In a few seconds she tosses the gear across the room without a care. Catra takes a moment to observe Adora fully nude, and somehow, the football gear managed to hide how muscular Adora had really become, now that Catra can actually  _ look.  _

Catra’s eyes shamelessly fall to Adora’s breasts which appear closer and closer to her face until she realizes Adora is straddling her again. Catra leans forward, pressing kisses against Adora’s breasts. She takes a nipple in her mouth, swirling her tongue around it. Adora lets out a weak moan and runs her hands up Catra’s back. 

“What are you doing?” Catra runs her hands up Adora’s stomach.

“Fucking you again,” Adora replies quickly. “I mean, if that’s what you want.” 

A faint whimper forms in Catra’s throat. “Again?”

“Is that what you want?” Adora asks, pressing a kiss against Catra’s forehead. 

“Can you fuck me with your fingers? I want to feel you closer to me.”

Adora is already focused on her, running her right hand up Catra’s legs, fingers gripping her inner thigh. She wraps her other arm behind Catra’s back, securing her in place while her fingers inch forward, beginning to gather slick between Catra’s legs. 

“I’ll start slowly, but let me know if it’s too much,” Adora murmurs and Catra nods, shutting her eyes. She feels one of Adora’s fingers slide in, cautious and slow. She opens her eyes to see Adora’s face inches from hers, observing her closely. 

“I can take another,” Catra says and Adora slides in another finger, working up a pace. Catra is already being held by Adora, but she curls her legs about Adora’s lower back, just to feel her even closer. “You feel… so fucking good inside of me.” Adora continues to press inside of her, curling her fingers.

“I love seeing you like this,” Adora whispers, tangling her fingers with Catra’s hair, playing with the short tufts. 

Catra bucks her hips forward, trying to take in as much of Adora as she can. “I want more of you,” she gasps out. “Go harder... I can take it.”   
  
The sturdy arm wrapped around Catra tightens, and Adora begins to thrust her fingers faster, her gaze intense. “Do you like taking my fingers?”

“Adora,” Catra sighs. “You feel so good.” Her legs start to twitch, and she arches forward, her lips seeking Adora’s neck as refuge, kissing and biting at the soft skin.  _ “Mine,” _ she grumbles, voice hardly audible, muffled by the firm muscle of Adora’s shoulder, but the marks she has left on Adora’s neck certainly send the same message regardless.

“That’s it. You’re being so good for me,” Adora murmurs and presses a slow trail of kisses up Catra’s neck. “Yours,” she adds, voice soft. 

Well, Catra didn’t realize Adora could quite hear that, but it seemed to work in her favor. Adora continues to work her fingers, bringing her thumb to rub circles on her clit. Adora watches her carefully, like she’s afraid to blink and miss a second of what she’s seeing.

“Adora...” Catra takes hold of Adora’s shoulders. The surreal-ness of Adora actually fucking her is beginning to set in, because every sensation and emotion she feels at this moment is far greater than her imagination could ever produce. “I’m close,” Catra whimpers. She feels weak and greedy, wanting to take in as much of Adora as she can. 

“I want to make you come,” Adora says, her voice level and gaze intent. She focuses on Catra the same way she focuses on whatever task she has set her mind on, determined and earnest. 

“Fuck, Adora,” Catra groans, muscles twitching around Adora’s fingers. She rocks her hips forward as Adora coaxes her through her orgasm, little by little. “I’m going to...”   
  
“Come for me,” Adora says in a low tone. “You’re doing so well, Catra.”

Catra sighs, her body releasing tension, going limp in Adora’s arms. Adora withdraws her fingers slowly and brings them to her own mouth. She takes both fingers into her mouth, running her tongue over Catra’s slick.

“I love you,” Catra breathes and falls into Adora’s lips again. “I mean… fuck… you’re good at that,” she blurts, latching for Adora’s shoulders. 

“You taste so fucking good,” Adora murmurs against her lips. “And I love you too.” 

Catra folds her fingers inwardly, not wanting to scratch Adora while she holds onto her. She feels secure being held in Adora’s arms, still coming down from the rush of being fucked by her. Adora kisses Catra, slow and deliberate, teasing Catra’s hair while they both enjoy the calm for a moment. 

Once she levels out, Catra reaches for Adora’s thigh, repositioning herself on top of Adora. “Can I taste you? I really want to touch you.”   
  
“Yes.” Adora shuts her eyes and sighs, running her hands over Catra’s chest. 

“Mmm, good.” Catra slides her fingers up Adora’s thigh, and Adora spreads her legs at her touch. “Is this what fucking me did to you?” she whispers. “You’re so wet for me, Adora.”

“Mmhm, that’s because I loved making you come.” Adora rolls her hips forward, moving along with Catra’s fingers which glide up toward her clit. She sighs but tenses again, breath shaky. “And I’d do it again if you wanted me to.” She wraps a hand around Catra’s thigh, her eyes posing a question.    
  
“Wow.” Catra rolls her eyes, but Adora’s expression remains serious. “You’re actually insatiable.”

“Yeah, and so what if I am?” Adora glances up and down Catra’s body, making no attempt to hide her lewd intentions.

“Nothing just... it’s fucking hot, seriously, but I want you to relax a little and let me take care of you right now. Okay?”

“Oh…” She tilts her head, pondering. “I guess I could do that.” 

“Good.” Catra studies Adora’s reactions as she begins to rub circles on Adora’s clit, just slowly enough to tease her at first. She brings up her fingers to her lips and sucks them clean, taking in Adora’s arousal. “How was that?” 

“Fuck,” Adora gasps, eyes dark with lust, locked on Catra’s mouth. “I want more of you, please…”   
  
“More, huh?” Catra grips Adora’s thighs and spreads them apart as she dips her head lower between Adora’s legs. She licks a broad stroke against Adora and another, alternating between kissing and licking. While she’s fucking Adora, one of Adora’s hands makes its way to her hair, playing with it. “Mmm,” Catra hums, still working her tongue.

“Catra,” Adora groans, bucking her hips along with Catra’s tongue. 

Some part of her loves hearing her name spill from Adora’s lips. It’s a reminder that she’s the one who gets to see Adora like this, eager, willing, and vulnerable. “I love fucking you,” Catra mumbles against Adora, hardly slowing her tongue.

The more Catra keeps going, the more Adora relaxes her body. Catra can almost sense the frustration melting off Adora as her muscles ease from their tension the longer she’s being fucked. Adora’s thighs begin to twitch around her head, and Catra continues stroking with her tongue, taking in every gasp and moan that falls from Adora’s lips.

“Catra, you’re going to make me come…”

Catra’s eyes flick up to meet Adora’s, staring directly back at her. Catra can’t contain the purr that rolls out of her chest when she thinks of Adora coming, because she is the one making Adora feel like this. Adora groans and latches onto Catra’s hair, and Catra presses into her, steady and unrelenting, wanting to draw out Adora’s orgasm as long as possible.

“Wow,” Adora gasps, reaching under Catra’s chin to tilt her head up. 

“Hey, Adora,” Catra rasps. She kisses Adora’s few thighs a few times before extricating herself from between Adora’s legs. 

“Come here,” Adora requests, extending her arms, inviting Catra to join her. “Can I hold you?”

“Yeah, mm ‘course.” Catra curls into Adora’s shoulder, taking in the scent of sex and Adora. Muscular arms wrap around Catra, and Adora’s warm breath heats the back of her neck. Catra feels safer than she has ever felt, being held by Adora. 

“I made you come twice,” Adora says and Catra isn’t sure if Adora is bragging or simply reflecting on what just happened.

“Sometimes, I’m not sure if I want to kill you or kiss you to be honest.”

Adora laughs and ruffles Catra’s hair. “Mhm, but you love me too much to kill me. Maybe in another life I suppose.”

“Yeah, maybe in another life when we’re sworn enemies fighting to rule the world, I  _ could _ kill you. Although, you being super hot would kind of throw a wrench in my plans of world domination so...”

“Uh huh, like you would ever want to conquer the world, anyway.” Adora purses her lips.

“Fine.” Catra relents somewhat to Adora’s teasing. “You got me. I’d much rather settle down with you and a cat in our apartment together.”

Adora narrows her eyebrows. “Did you just U-haul me?”

“Oh, I guess I thought… I don’t know...” Catra stutters, and Adora nuzzles into her neck, playful.

“C’mon you haven’t even asked to be my girlfriend yet. My answer would be yes, in case you were wondering.” Adora squeezes Catra in her arms, humming to herself.

Catra lets out a dramatic sigh. “Oh well. Guess I have a super hot girlfriend now.”

“I have a crazy hot girlfriend, and she loves me.” Adora presses a kiss against the back of one of Catra’s ears. “But I love her even more.”

“Not that it’s a competition or anything, but no, I definitely love my girlfriend more than you love yours.”

“Hmm, I guess we’ll have to race again to decide this. Winner loves the other person more.”

Catra snorts, twisting from her position to face Adora, lying beside her. “You know I’m just going to crush you again.”

“Yeah, I know.” Adora shrugs. “But that’s not going to stop me from trying.”

“You might be the dumbest person I’ve ever met, but I think that’s why I’m so in love with you.”

“Hey!” Adora nudges Catra before taking Catra in her arms again, burying her face in Catra’s shoulder. “I love you too.”

“Mine,” Catra purrs. She kisses Adora’s forehead and strokes her let-down hair, something she hasn’t done in a long time. She could stand to get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> "I'm sorry, Catra."
> 
> "Seriously, Adora? Normally I would just forget that. Except for the fact that it was my _birthday._ My fucking birthday!"
> 
> credit to @SapphicTrashFire for this one


End file.
